The Teaching and Cultivation of the French Language in England Part 44

The learned Mrs. Bathsua Makin, who had been governess to the daughters of Charles I., and later kept a school at Tottenham High Cross, also advocated the use of the _Janua Linguarum_ for learning Latin and French. The young ladies of her school learnt ten Latin sentences of the _Janua_ a day thoroughly, spending "but six hours a day in their books."

By the end of six months they had a fair knowledge of the language, and turned to French: "If the Latin tongue may be learnt in 6 months, where most of the words are new, then the French may be learnt in three, by one that understands Latin and English, because there is not above one word of ten of the French Tongue, that may not fairly, without force, be reduced to the Latin or English."[876]

We are also told[877] of a boy of seven who spoke Latin, French, and English with equal facility, "by reason that his father talked to him in nothing but Latin, and his mother, who was a Frenchwoman, in nothing but French, and the rest of the family in nothing but English." And the Rev.

Henry Wotton of Corpus Christi, Cambridge, has left an account of how, when he undertook the education of his son, "leaving off the Accidence in that Method that ordinarily children are trained up in, (he) immediately thought with (him)self to make an experiment whether children of his years might not be taught the Latin Tongue as ordinarily children are taught the French and Italian, and without the torture of grammar, to make them, by reading a Latin book, to understand Nouns and Verbs, Declensions and Moods, and that without the vast circuit, that ordinarily takes up 3 or 4 years, as preparatory to read any Latin author."[878] Evelyn bears witness to the success of Wotton's experiment. He saw the young William Wotton in London at the age of eleven, and p.r.o.nounced him "a miracle."[879] To Evelyn also we are indebted for an account of another case of similar precocity due to the same method. He relates how he and Pepys saw a child of twelve, the son of one Dr. Clench, "who was perfect in the Latine authors, spake French naturally, and possessed amazing knowledge. His tutor was a Frenchman, who had not troubled him to learn even the rules of grammar by heart, but merely read to him, first in French, and then in Latin."[880]

In no case, however, was the contrast between the prevalent methods of teaching Latin and French so marked as in the learning of Latin in Grammar Schools, and of French in France by "rote" or with the help of a few general grammar rules; the older the student, the more necessary were grammar rules considered. Richard Carew, for instance, was struck by the fact that he learnt more French without rules in three-quarters of a year in France than he had learnt Latin in more than thirteen years' strenuous study of grammar. He had gone to France on leaving the university. On his arrival he was at a loss for words, knowing nothing of the language; but after a short stay, spent in the midst of French people, talking and reading nothing but French, he surmounted the difficulties of the language with surprising ease, and wished students of Latin to benefit by his experience.[881] The two languages, indeed, were not infrequently studied together by the considerable number of English children who were sent to France for purposes of education.

FOOTNOTES:

[824] "It is most astonishing that there ever could have been people idle enough to write and read such endless heaps of the same stuff. It was, however, the occupation of thousands in the last century, and is still the private though disavowed amus.e.m.e.nt of young girls and sentimental ladies," wrote Chesterfield in the eighteenth century (_Letters to his Son_, 1774, p. 242). Even Johnson read and enjoyed these lengthy romances.

[825] Jusserand, _The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare_, p. 381.

[826] _Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir Wm. Temple, 1652-54_, London, 1888, p. 318.

[827] He in turn pa.s.sed them on to Lady Diana Rich.

[828] T. P. Courtney, _Memoirs of the Life, Works and Correspondence of Sir Wm. Temple_, London, 1836, i. p. 5.

[829] _Letters_, p. 172; ep. Goldsmith, _Essay on the Use of Language_: "If again you are obliged to wear a flimsy stuff in the midst of winter, be the first to remark that stuffs are very much worn at Paris."

[830] Pepys used Cotgrave's Dictionary; _Diary_, February 26, 1660-1.

[831] This book was very widely read in England. But there does not seem to have been an English translation of it before 1709 (Pepys's _Diary_, Oct. 13, 1664, ed. Wheatley, 1904).

[832] _Diary_, Jan. 13, Feb. 8 and 9, 1667-8.

[833] _L'Hydrographie contenant la theorie et la pratique de toutes les parties de la navigation_, 1643.

[834] He read Descartes's _Musicae Compendium_, but did not think much of it.

[835] Pepys relates how one evening Penn and he fell to discoursing about some words in a French song Mrs. Pepys was singing--_D'un air tout interdict_: "wherein I laid twenty to one against him, which he would not agree to with me, though I know myself in the right as to the sense of the word, and almost angry we were, and were an houre and more upon the dispute, till at last broke up not satisfied, and so home."

[836] _Les Resolutions Politiques ou Maximes d'etat_, par Jean de Marnix, Baron de Potes, Bruxelles, 1612.

[837] Cp. E. Gosse, _Seventeenth Century Studies_, 1897; J. J.

Jusserand, _The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare_, p. 373.

[838] D. Canfield, _Corneille and Racine in England_, 1904. How common was the presence of Frenchmen in English families of high standing may be gathered from Orinda's statement that "one, Legrand, a Frenchman belonging to the d.u.c.h.ess of Ormond, has by her order set the fourth [song in _Pompey_ to music], and a Frenchman of my Lord Orrery's the second" (_Letters of Orinda to Poliarchus_, London, 1705, Letter dated Jan. 31, 1663).

[839] Fifth ed., Amsterdam, 1686. Translated into English by F. Spence, London, 1683. Queen Henrietta Maria had done much to foster the spirit of the _Astree_ and the Hotel de Rambouillet in England: cp. J. B.

Fletcher, "Precieuses at the Court of Charles I.," in the _Journal of Comparative Philology_, vol. i. 1903.

[840] Between ladies and "cavaliers." Herbert explains that by "cavalier" he means _galant homme_. Here is a specimen of their style: "_Cavalier_: La voila, je la vois.--_Dame_: Que voyez-vous, mons.?--Je vois la Gloire du beau s.e.xe, l'Ornement de ce siecle, et l'Objet de mes affections.--Vous voyez ici bien des choses.--Toutes ces choses sont en une.--C'est donc une merveille.--Dites, ma chere Dame, la merveille des merveilles.--Je le pourrois dire apres vous, car votre bel esprit ne se sauroit tromper.--Il se peut bien tromper, mais non pas en ceci.--Je veux qu'il soit infaillible en ceci: il faut pourtant que je voye cette Gloire, cet Ornement et cet Objet, pour en pouvoir juger.--Vous ne les sauriez voir que par reflexion.--Je ne vous entens pas.--Approchez-vous de ce miroir, et vous verrez ce que je dis. Qu'y voyez-vous, ma Belle?--Je vous y vois, monsieur.--Voila une belle reponse.--Belle ou laide, elle est vraye.--Elle l'est effectivement: mais n'y voyez-vous rien que moi?--Je m'y vois aussi bien que vous.--Vous voyez donc cette ill.u.s.tre merveille, etc."

[841] "Il y a des particuliers qui ne sont pas dans mes interets, qui les (_i.e._ his works) decrient hautement, non pas tant par malice que par jalousie, quelques-uns etant des personnes interessees qui sont de ma profession, ou des critiques ignorans qui trouvent a redire a tout ce que les autres font, pour faire paroitre ce qu'ils n'ont point, s'imaginant qu'on les prend pour des hommes d'esprit, quand on les entend reprendre les choses les mieux faites."

[842] See p. 290, _supra_.

[843] Arber, _Stationers' Register_, iv. 333.

[844] Schickler, _eglises du Refuge_, ii. pp. 148-9, and 153. Despagne became a denizen in 1655 (Hug. Soc. Pub. xviii.). Cp. also Haag, _La France protestante_, ad nom., and the _Bulletin de la societe de l'Histoire du Protestantisme francais_, viii. pp. 369 _et seq._ He died in 1658.

[845] _Harmony of the Old and New Testament_, 1682, Brown's preface.

[846] Schickler, _op. cit._ ii. p. 224.

[847] _Cal. of State Papers, Dom., 1660-61_, p. 277.

[848] That translation was not always the means of interpretation is shown by the following pa.s.sage from Mauger; a stranger questions one of his pupils:

Entendez-vous tout ce que vous lises?

J'en entends une partie.

Entendez-vous bien le sens?

Fort bien, monsieur.

Probably French was not 'construed' word for word, as Latin was, the clause, on the contrary, being made the starting-point. "Construing word for word is impossible in any language," wrote Joseph Webbe in his _Pet.i.tion to the High Court of Parliament_, quoting as an example the "barbarous English of the Frenchman, '_I you pray, sir_,' for _Je vous prie, monsieur_."

[849] _An Essay on Education_, London, 1711.

[850] _Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson_, ed. C. H. Firth, London. 1885, i. p. 16.

[851] _Ibid._ p. 23.

[852] _Autobiography of Lady Anne Halkett, 1622-1699, 1701_, Camden Society, 1875, p. 2.

[853] _The Lives of Wm., Duke of Newcastle and of his wife Margaret ...

written by the thrice n.o.ble and ill.u.s.trious princess Margaret, d.u.c.h.ess of Newcastle_, ed. M. A. Lower, 1872, p. 271.

[854] _Loveday's Letters, Domestick and forrain to several persons ..._, London, 1659, p. 31.

[855] _Letters_, p. 105. Cp. also pp. 26, 47, 79, 135, etc. It is evident from the letter of Dorothy Osborne quoted above, p. 320, that she had learnt French chiefly by ear. Several of the inaccuracies, such as the use of the past participle for the infinitive, would not be noticeable in p.r.o.nunciation.

[856] F. Watson, _Grammar Schools_, pp. 276 _sqq._

[857] J. Webbe, _An Appeale to Truth in the Controversie between Art and Verse about the best and most expedient course in languages_, 1622.

[858] There was a strong feeling at this period in favour of a freer use of English in the teaching of Latin, chiefly on account of the time such a course would save. Thus Milton recognized the mistake of spending a great number of years in learning one language "making two labours of one by learning first the accidence, then the grammar in Latin, ere the language of those rules be understood." The remedy, he thought, was the use of a grammar in English (A. F. Leach, "Milton as Schoolboy and Schoolmaster," _Proceedings of the British Academy_, iii. 1908). Snell (_Right Teaching of Useful Knowledge_, 1649), Mrs. Makin or M. Lewis (?) (_Essay to Revive the Antient Education of Gentlewomen_, 1671), and others also argued that English should be the groundwork of the teaching of Latin. Most of the English grammars produced in the seventeenth century claim to be useful to scholars as an introduction to the rudiments of Latin; and it was on this footing, no doubt, that English grammar first made its way into the schools. Chief among these, perhaps, was J. Poole's _English Accidence for attaining more speedily the Latin Tongue, so that every young child, as soon as he can read English, may by it turn any sentence into Latin. Published by Authority, and commended as generally necessary to be made use of in all schooles of this commonwealth_, London, 1655. For a list of English grammars cp. F.

Watson, _Modern Subjects_, chap. i. Lily's Grammar came to be almost always used with the English rendering by Wm. Hume. Cp. Watson, _Grammar Schools_, p. 296.

[859] _An advertis.e.m.e.nt ... touching school books_, 1659.

[860] _An Essay to Revive the Antient Education of Gentlewomen_, London, 1673 (by Mrs. Makin or Mark Lewis).

[861] G. Miege, _A New French Grammar_, 1678, p. 377.

[862] _Appeale to Truth_, 1622, p. 41.